bittos+ Review: On The Heels Of Giants

If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if two of the greatest puzzle games of all time have an illegitimate child, you can stop trying to figure it out, because the world now has an answer. “bittos+” is the latest block dropping puzzle game to find its way to WiiWare, and it’s very clearly inspired by the grand-daddy of any block-based game, Alexey Pazhitnov’s masterpiece, “Tetris” and a modern day reinvention of virtually the same formula, “Lumines.” Pulling from such impressive (and addictive) source material, it seems like “bittos+” has lofty aspirations to keep gamers playing for hours on end with its simplistic and familiar look and feel, but can it satisfy gamers’ need for yet another block-based puzzle game?

Yeah, it can. [Continue Reading]

Critter Crunch Review: I Eat, Therefore I Am

There were two indie type games that really peeked my interest during E3 2009 – “Pixel Junk Shooter” and “Critter Crunch.”  Both of these games had two things in common; fresh visuals, and simple, but deep, gameplay that challenged you to think.  The handheld video game market is flooded with games like this, especially when you factor in the iPhone and Blackberry users out there.  It’s almost refreshing to see that developers like CAPY, better known as Capybara Games, are willing to make a game like this exclusively for a console, and releasing “Critter Crunch” on the PSN for $6.99 on October 8th.    [Continue Reading]

World of Goo Review: Puzzles With a Creamy Filling Inside

When it comes to puzzle games, most recognize the simple gameplay and progressive designs that eventually get harder, and require more skill and knowledge that has been acquired through the game. This method of learning and practical application has been the staple for most puzzle games since the beginning of time; stick the right row of blocks into the correct place, fire the right kind of orb over the field into the right order, send the psychotic green-haired mooks into different roles-as taught to you be the handbook and tutorial-to the end of the level. It’s a very efficient system. In 2D Boy’s award-winning “World of Goo” no such learning period exists. [Continue Reading]